


count down to the day they may come true

by I_can_only_imagine



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Break Up, Canon Deaf Character, Cisco Ramon-centric, Cisco and Dante being brothers, Endgame Goldenvibe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, based on the song Pierre by Ryn Weaver, friends to strangers to lovers, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29210310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_can_only_imagine/pseuds/I_can_only_imagine
Summary: after realizing how strong his feelings for Lisa were, Cisco started to run. Over the years he falls in love, but always finds himself drawn back to Lisa.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Dante Ramon, Cisco Ramon & Team Flash, Cisco Ramon/Cindy Reynolds, Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway, Cisco Ramon/Lisa Snart, Kamilla Hwang/Cisco Ramon, Other Background Relationships - Relationship
Kudos: 3





	1. My Youth (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> This entire fic is based around the song Pierre by Ryn Weaver. Goldenvibe is endgame, but each chapter has a different main ship with Cisco as he lives through the song.  
> A new chapter will be uploaded every week.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco had always been running from something. Every moment of his life he seemed to be running and he could never slow down or everything else would suddenly catch up with him.  
> Running didn’t give Cisco hope like it did for Barry. He ran from his family, he even ran from his friends from time to time. One of the biggest things he found himself running from lately, was the one person he never believed he had to, because he was afraid to tell her the truth.

_ I danced in the desert, in the pouring rain _

_ Drank with the devil and forgot my name _

_ Woke with somebody when the morning came _

_ No one there to shame me for my youth _

Cisco had always been running from something. Every moment of his life he seemed to be running and he could never slow down or everything else would suddenly catch up with him.

He of course found this ironic, because Barry was the one who did the actual running. Any time they ran into an issue with a case, Barry would do laps around the precinct, or run all the way to Jitters and back. Barry said running kept his head clear, got him past anything standing in his way. Running gave him hope.

Running didn’t give Cisco hope. Then again he wasn’t running in the same way that Barry did. He was running because he was afraid, and that was it. He ran from his family, he even ran from his friends from time to time. One of the biggest things he found himself running from lately, was the one person he never believed he had to.

He hadn’t shown up for him and Lisa’s meet up at Jitters the week before. He hadn’t responded to any of her texts, returned any of her calls. He muted the chat she was in with him and deleted all of her voicemails without listening to them. It was impossible to avoid her, her brother Len was too close to Barry, and Mick was dating Caitlin. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t really run from her. But somehow he still managed to never see her in person, he managed to perfectly ignore her and go on with his life like nothing had happened. Lisa didn’t stop trying, but no one brought it up to him so he just assumed she hadn’t told anyone.

Cisco avoided Saint and Sinners at all costs when he went out to drink. Caitlin had tried multiple times to convince him to go, but he had just redirected their group to a different bar with the excuse that Saints and Sinners wasn’t the most legal establishment and if Mick really wanted to join them he could join them at a respectable bar. Yeah, he would never get over the fact that Mick didn’t turn his face into a crater right then and there.

He drank to his heart’s content and his friends didn’t mention it. They never let him drink too much, but they didn’t stop him from numbing everything for the rest of the night. It started to rain outside and their small group managed to make it to the park across the street where they danced, and laughed, and pretended nothing really mattered. Ralph and Sue spun until they fell over into the soaking grass. Mick threw Caitlin over his shoulder as she laughed and lightly chided him that she had a skirt on. Len and Ray lightly bickered while Len ran his hand through Ray’s hair to get rid of the tangles. Eddie and Iris cuddled under the tree as Eddie tired to clean up her makeup that ran down her face while she giggled. Barry and Patty slow danced with their foreheads pressed together.

Cisco must have hated himself, he was sure of it. Because he watched his friends all happy with their partners and couldn’t help but imagine what he would be doing if Lisa were there.

Len had said she couldn’t make it because of a job she had to do out of town, so he imagined if she had gotten back to Central early. If she had gone drinking with them and ended up with them in the park, in the rain.

He could see them chasing each other around the park. Splashing around in puddles like they were children, turning swings over each other’s heads to drop all the water on them, then sitting in those swings together as they watched the rest of the group. Lisa would have brought a flask that she saved from them to pass back and forth until they finally had to head home. They would head home together to Cisco’s apartment and fall asleep on his couch without changing, then in the morning pretend that none of it had ever happened, if they could even remember it in the morning.

Cisco didn’t remember the rest of the night. All he knew was he woke up the next morning in Caitlin’s guest room to the murmbers of Mick’s voice, Caitlin- no, Khione’s laugh, and moving in the kitchen.

“Well look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living,” Khione said dryly as he stumbled into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Mick said gruffly without looking away from the pancakes he was working on.

“How did I end up here?” Cisco asked.

“Hell if I know,” Khione shrugged.

“Cait didn’t trust you to get home on your own,” Mick answered. “Had me carry you here.”

“Thanks,” Cisco said carefully.

“Don’t mention it. Now eat your pancakes.”

Cisco watched Mick’s back from a moment while Khione started again about the new art exhibit Mick just had to take her to. When Mick told Khione it shounded like a good idea for date night Cisco finally turned to his food and started picking at it.

“You missed a call from Lisa while you were out by the way,” Khione told him later when they were cleaning up their dishes and he was getting ready to go. “She left a voicemail.”

“Thanks,” Cisco said. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“See you later,” Khione waved.

Cisco walked back home, deleting the voicemail from Lisa along the way and dismissing the notification that he had missed her call.


	2. Double Bass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco falls in love with Hartley Rathaway after hearing him play the bass at the Central City Symphony. He isn't sure what he did to deserve something as good as this, and for a while he can trick himself into believing Hartley is the answer to stop running.

_ And then I found me a lover who could play the bass _

_ He's kinda quiet, but his body ain't _

_ Spend the days dreaming and the nights awake _

_ Doin' things we know we shouldn't do _

Hartley Rathaway had been a whistleblower at STAR Labs who nearly single handedly ended Harrison Wells’s career in science. After the investigation ended, Harrison figured out Hartley was the whistleblower, and everyone at STAR Labs had obeyed the unspoken threat to not come in contact with him. Hartley was the enemy, despite all his years of being their friend.

Cisco left STAR Labs not too long after the investigation. Captain Singh offered him a job as the CCPD tech consultant, and when the CCPD didn’t need his help he worked with Ralph on whatever case he needed help on. STAR Labs was a place of him and Caitlin’s past that they tried their best to forget. The labs themself held too many memories of the better days, and they couldn’t look at Harrison Wells himself without thinking of Hartley in surgery, and Ronnie in his casket.

Cisco had heard Hartley’s name in a conversation Caitlin, Mick and Len had one day while they hung out in Barry and Patty’s apartment. When Cisco asked what they were talking about, they told him about the Central City Symphony being back in town, and how Hartley had gotten an award for a score he wrote for the symphony.

A few nights later, Cisco found himself stuck with Caitlin’s ticket to the concert with Sara and her girlfriend taking Len and Mick’s tickets. Something had come up with Len and Mick’s freelance work, and Caitlin had said Cisco needed to broaden his musical taste anyways.

Cisco had to admit, the seats they got were amazing. Sara seemed about as interested as him in the classical music, but her girlfriend was practically on the edge of her seat. He was sure it was the most excitement he had ever seen from the usually cold and calculating woman Nyssa al Ghul was.

Then Cisco got a good look at the members of the symphony, and he found himself just as interested. Because there at the back of the symphony on the far right of the stage closest to their seats was Hartley Rathaway. The double bass he held was half a foot taller than him, but he still held it with such an authority. The slide of his bow against the strings was near mesmerizing as he played the piece.

In all their time working together, Cisco had never been attracted to Hartley. Hartley had been a prick at the best of times who dressed like a grandpa. They were friends for a while there until Dr. Wells fired Hartley sure, but Hartley had always gotten on her nerves. Now though, watching Hartley in his musical element, Cisco couldn’t help but think that he almost looked pretty, even from the distance.

The concert ended and Sara and Nyssa said goodbye. Nyssa had to leave early in the morning and they wanted to spend their last night in Central together at their apartment.

Cisco waited as the crowd thinned and the musicians started to come out from backstage to meet up with friends or family, or get headed home. When Hartley got out from backstage he had his suit jacket thrown over his arm and a music folder in hand.

“Hartley,” Cisco called to catch his attention. Hartley stiffened for just a second before turning to him with his head tilted. Cisco saw the moment recognition registered on his face and Hartley gave a small smile and made his way over.

“Cisco Ramon,” Hartley said. “You are the last person I would expect to run into here.”

“Caitlin went out of town, didn’t want her ticket to go to waist,” Cisco explained. “You guys were great though. I think this is the first time I’ve not fallen asleep to classical music.”

“We try our best,” Hartley said.

They stood in silence after that, neither sure what to say. After a moment, cisco suggested they get tea. It was such a small thing, but he saw how much it meant to Hartley that he had remembered such a small and insignificant thing as him not liking coffee.

“It’s been so long. What have you been up to?” Cisco asked as they sat down with their teas and small pastries.

“Well you already saw that I’m playing in the Central City Symphony,” Hartley started. “I can play anything they need me to, so it’s a guaranteed job. I write scores, and last year I wrote part of the program for the Central City High School marching band. And I was a conductor for the middle school band for a semester earlier this year.”

“So a lot of music,” Cisco said.

“Yeah,” Hartley ducked his head. Cisco had never seen Hartley shy, and in just that second he decided he loved how it looked on him. Big blue eyes partially hidden by long black lashes with a few strands of hair falling in his face.

“I’m the acoustics consultant for Mercury Labs too,” Hartley went on when he seemed to regain his usual confidence. “I’m a month away from my third PhD.”

“That’s a lot,” Cisco said. “Are you and Rodrick still together?”

“No, we broke up a little after I was fired,” Hartley said. And awkward silence hung for a moment before Hartley shook his head and smiled again, “Enough about me, what’s been going on with you?”

So Cisco told him. He told him about his new job, and how he was trying to improve his relationship with his brother, and how he wasn’t seeing anyone. Hadn’t seen anyone in years really. And from there they just talked. Cisco admittedly did most of the talking, he had never seen Hartley so quiet but he assumed that was just what years of being silenced did to someone, so he didn’t push. He let Hartley lead him into new topics, and let his own heart flutter at the way Hartley’s eyes lit up with honest interest.

Cisco was lucky he got a single word out with those eyes looking at him like that.

At the end of the night, when the tea shop closed and they parted ways, they traded numbers. When Cisco got back to his apartment, he deleted the notification for a missed text from Lisa, and texted Hartley goodnight, saying that the night had been a lot of fun.

A couple months later found him lying in his bed with Hartley tucked against his side, his eyelashes fluttering every so often from dream against Cisco’s chest.

Cisco lightly traced his fingers over Hartley's back and shoulders which had been bruised a variety of pretty reds and purples. He knew his own skin was covered in similar markings, his body aching in all the best ways.

Knowing that as usual sleep would come to him slowly, Cisco reached over and grabbed his phone. He didn’t know what caused the impulsive decision, but for the first time in almost half a year he found himself opening up Lisa’s contact to let the texts flood in. They were all harmless messages saying good morning and goodnight, wishing him a happy holiday whenever one passed, tiny puns she thought he would enjoy and posts that reminded him of her. The most recent text was her asking if he wanted her to go with him and Caitlin to Dante’s birthday like she usually did.

“Ciscito,” Hartley mumbled his voice still a little raw, his lips brushing on Cisco’s chest. “Why are you still up?”

“Just couldn’t sleep yet,” Cisco said, turning off his phone and putting it back on the bed stand. “Sorry for waking you.”

“It’s okay,” Hartley said. He pressed a kiss to his chest.

Cisco moved slowly to give Hartley time to adjust his position, settling with his hands on either side of Hartley, his hair falling down around his face like a curtain.

“How are you feeling?” Cisco asked. Even after months together, he found himself always having to make sure. A voice in the back of his head always telling him he had to protect Hartley even though he knew the man was more than capable to protect himself.

“Good,” Hartley smiled, sleep clinging to the edges of it. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Cisco grinned. “Great, really.”

Hartley hummed and reached up, his hand hesitating at his ear. His eyes dragged over his face, critical and careful.

“Would you be okay with me taking out my hearing aids?” Hartley asked. “I don’t want to forget them again.”

“Of course,” Cisco said. He watched as Hartley gently pulled off the aids and stretched to put them on the bedside table without moving out from between Cisco’s arms. When he was done, he looked back up at Cisco, his eyes trained closer to his lips.

Cisco leaned down and brushed a kiss against one of the darker bruises where Hartley’s shoulder met his neck. Hartley gave a shiver, his hands reaching up to press against Cisco’s sides which were still aching.

Slowly, Hatley sat up with Cisco settling his weight on his calves to not put any pressure on Hartley. Hartley wrapped his arms around Cisco, pressing his face in the crook of his neck. He heard Hartley take a shaky breath and returned the hold to offer comfort. For what, he didn’t know, but he knew that breath alone had made his heart ache.

“I’m so lucky I found you,” Hartley whispered.

Cisco hummed his agreement. He was lucky he found Hartley. He was lucky Hartley even gave him a chance after the cold shoulder everyone at STAR Labs had given him.

He lowered them back down to lay side by side, his arms still wrapped around Hartley as he finally drifted off to the sound of the man’s breathing.

The next morning, Cisco woke up to a breakfast in bed and a smiling Hartley. Hartley sat beside him in bed while he ate, his fingers discreetly dancing over the bedsheets in a mirror of the way they would playing his flute. He had been on bass for the past two concerts, but this one they had him switch over to flute due to the symphony losing two flutes and gaining a bass in the last quarter.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Cisco said as he sipped his orange juice. He waited for Hartley’s eyes to meet his to go on. “Dante’s birthday is kind of a must attend in my family, but I don’t like going alone. usually I bring two people, Caitlin and whoever else volunteers. I was wondering if you wanted to come with cait and I. As my boyfriend.”

Hartley’s fingers froze where they were on the sheets, his eyes widening. Cisco could practically see the gears turning in his head and his eyes flitted about Cisco’s face, looking for something, what it was he was looking for Cisco wasn’t sure.

“You want me to meet your entire family as your boyfriend?” Hartley clarified.

“Yeah,” Cisco shrugged. “I mean, we've been… together, for a few months now. That’s what people usually do isn’t it? Bring their boyfriend home to meet their family.”

“You’re sure?” Hartley asked.

“I am. But only if you want to.”

“I want to,” Hartley’s expression melted back into a smile.

Cisco leaned forward and kissed Hartley. He continued eating his breakfast while Hartley’s fingers resumed their movements across the sheets. An alarm on Hartley's phone went off a few minutes later and he kissed Cisco goodbye before pulling on his shoes and rushing out the door with his flute case in hand.

Cisco let a bit of guilt pool in the bottom of his stomach for a moment as he thought of Lisa’s text and how he had given her position away to someone else. Then he let go of the guit and reminded himself it was for the best. He had to keep running from her if he wanted to move forward. And Hartley was an amazing direction to run in.

Dante was happy to meet Hartley and held an hour long conversation with him about music theory. Everything was going great, date consistently sending smiles in Cisco’s direction that told him bringing Hartley was the perfect idea until their parents proved them wrong.

It started with light comments about Dante's musical accomplishments as usual. It was nothing surprising, all of them had seen this part of the night coming. Hartley had stayed silent for all of their branding, giving nods and smiles and interested hums of interest as responses. Dante had asked what he probably thought would be an innocent question to Hartley about if he played an instrument in high school or if music was something he picked up in college. Hartly had been taken off guard by all eyes following him, so Cisco squeezed his hand in encouragement.

“I played a few instruments in high school actually,” Hartley admitted.

“What instruments?” Dante asked.

“That I can remember, in freshman year I could play the piano, flute, viola, cello, clarinet, french horn and… and a few others,” Hartley said, his voice trailing off and going quiet when he glanced in the direction of Cisco’s parents. Cisco followed his gaze and his heart immediately dropped. Dante had his back turned to them, he didn’t know. Cisco would repeat that to himself over and over again later that night to remind himself that Dante wasn’t at fault for what happened next.

“That’s a lot,” Dante said with an impressed smile. “I always thought the french horn looked interesting. Was it hard to learn?”

“It was,” Hartley said carefully. “It was the first brass instrument I learned, so it took me a while to get it down. How long have you been playing piano?”

Cisco squeezed his hand again as encouragement. Redirecting the conversation was a good idea. Maybe they could still salvage this moment.

“Since I was ten,” Dante said. “When did you start?”

“Start what?” Hartley asked, again taken off guard.

“Playing the piano,” Dante said. Cisco’s heart dropped impossibly lower as he felt Hartley’s hand shake in his.

“I was… I was um…” Hartley looked between Cisco and his parents. After a moment he took a deep breath, and Cisco watched as Hartley protective walls went up and cursed under his breath. He had worked so hard to get those walls down. It took so long. How long would it take this time to get his Hartley back?

“I started when I was five,” Hartley said, his voice hollowed. Cisco met Caitlin’s eyes on the other side of Hartley just in time for Dante to suggest Hartley play them something.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” their mother said quickly, a cold edge to her voice. “It’s your birthday after all.”

“I play every year Mamá,” Dante said. “Wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else play for once?”

“It would not,” she said. “I didn’t not throw this party for a spoiled child to steal my baby’s attention. I don’t know why your brother brought him at all.”

“Because he’s my boyfriend, madre,” Cisco said defensively. “I asked Dante and he said he wanted to meet him.”

“Well we did not approve of him being here,” his father jumped in. “You always bring people here without getting our permission.”

“It’s Dante’s birthday, his permission is all that should matter,” Cisco defended.

“It is our house!”

“I’m just going to go,” Hartley whispered to cisco. “I’m sorry, I’ll wait in the car.”

“No,” Cisco said. “You shouldn’t have to leave just because of them. Dante, what do you think?”

“I think he should get to stay,” Dante said, his own voice going hard. “If Mamá and Papá don’t want him here so badly, then I will leave with you.”

“Dante,” their movie scolded.

“Cisco really, I don’t want to be here,” Hartley whispered to him again. Cisco looked in Hartley’s eyes and immediately regretted saying he should get to stay in the first place. Hartley had put up the majority of his walls, shutting off his usual responses to these kinds of situations, but his eyes were honestly fearful. He shouldn’t have brought him into this kind of situation. Hartley had enough family trauma as it was, Cisco shouldn’t have risked stacking his own on top of it.

“It’s okay Dante, we have dinner reservations anyways, it’s always good to get to the restaurant early,” Cisco said. He stood and grabbed Hartley’s coat, helping him into it while Caitlin herself got ready.

“I’ll come with you,” Dante said, getting up to grab his own coat.

Cisco caught his arm as he was about to pass by, looking him in the eyes and he whispered, “You really don’t have to.”

“I want to,” Dante said, ignoring their family’s shouting behind him.

The four left together with Dante driving while Cailtin gave him directions. In the backseat, Cisco spent the ride trying to get Hartley to relax. It wasn’t until they got to the restaurant that Hartley’s walls again came down, and Cisco found himself letting out a breath of relief.

At the restaurant, Hartley and Dante more freely talked about music, pulling Cisco and Caitlin in for opinions every so often. Caitlin was definitely more helpful in their conversation with her knowledge of classical music.

Never one to let the night dull down, Cisco asked Hartley about what he was ordering in spanish and watched as glee spread on Dnate’s face when Hartley so easily answered his question. The rest of the conversation was held in spanish, leaving Caitlin just as lost as Cisco was.

When they parted ways, Dante told Cisco to hold onto Hartley, and he promised him that he had every intention to.

He wished he could have kept that promise to Dante.

A month later Cisco had already been starting to break that promise. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was that made them slip. Hartley had been more careful since Dante’s birthday. Sceptical when Cisco invited him to certain events. Cisco shouldn’t have let it get to him, but it did.

It didn’t help that Cisco was working tech support on a huge serial murder case that required early mornings and late days, and Hartley had started up on his fourth PhD and was working on writing the entire program for the symphony. They were both busy. They didn’t have time to try and hold them together.

That’s what Cisco would tell himself. That they just were too busy. They didn't have the time. That Hartley deserved someone who could make the time, and Cisco wasn't that person.

Cisco was glad they had never moved in together. It made this easier. He changed the locks after Hartley left, and suggested they spend the night at Hartley’s apartment. When Hartley had taken out his hearing aids and fallen fast asleep, Cisco got up and packed up the things of his he had left at Hartley’s apartment. He had a box of Hartley’s things from him in the car that he would leave at the foot of the bed with a note and his keys to Hartley’s apartment.

His phone rang right after he sat the box down at the foot of the bed. He knew who it was, and he knew he should let it ring through or decline the call like he had been for months on end. But for the first time in over six months, he slid the bar to accept the call.

“Cisco,” Lisa said his name like she couldn’t believe it. Her voice held some tiredness, the same kind it always did when she had finished up a harder job with her brother and Mick. But it was filled to the brim with joy, excitement, and Cisco let himself believe that it was because he finally answered.

“Hey Les,” Cisco said.

“I’m so glad you picked up, I just had to tell you about this lady at Saints and Sinners who was being so annoying!” Lisa said. Cisco felt that same guilt as usual when he thought of Lisa as he realized she had full intention of not acknowledging that it had been so long since they talked. Cisco listened as she went on about a lady who kept making Lisa remake her drink and food, saying it wasn’t done right or Lisa must have done something to it. He listened to Lisa talk about how badly she just wanted to spit in it, but how she needed this job for between her freelance gigs. The whole time he listened, he tried desperately not to glance back at Hartley’s sleeping form, because if he did he would have to admit the truth of why he was leaving such a perfect man like this.

“So,” Lisa said when she had finally run out of the story to tell. “What’s been up with you? I heard you got put on a pretty big case.”

“I did,” Cisco said. “I can’t really talk about it, but it’s been keeping me busy.”

“Any girlfriend or boyfriend yet?” she asked with a teasing lilt.

“Not at the moment,” Cisco said, finally glancing back. His heart seized as he saw Hartley’s hand reach out in his sleep for where Cisco usually slept by his side. HWen he could find Cisco, his hand landed on his pillow and he leaned into it.

It wasn’t a lie. At that very moment, he had been breaking up with his boyfriend, so he didn’t technically have a boyfriend. And yet he still felt like he was going to drown if he didn’t hang up the phone that very second and run away.

“That’s too bad,” Lisa said. “It’s crazy that no one has snatched you up yet. The universe is probably just waiting to send you the perfect person.”

“Probably,” Cisco agreed in a near whisper. “What about you Les? Any lucky lady or man?”

“You know me,” Lisa said with a mock sigh. “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”

“Now that’s what’s really crazy,” Cisco said.

He listened to Lisa’s laugh and tried his best to hold it together. That laugh always made him feel better, shone like a lantern in his darkest moments. Yet in that moment it made him feel more alone than he ever felt before.

“I’m sorry for calling so late, I just had to vent to you about that,” Lisa said. “You always love my monster lady stories.”

“I do,” Cisco said.

“Well, I’ll let you go now. Sleep well, don’t work yourself to death before I can see you again.”

“I won’t Les. Sleep well.”

Lisa hung up, and Cisco was left sitting there with the phone to his ear, and his heart at his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments give me life so if you liked the story feel free to leave some.  
> Come find me over @what-if-i-imagine on tumblr where my asks, prompts, and requests are always open!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments give me life so if you liked the story feel free to leave some.  
> Come find me over @what-if-i-imagine on tumblr where my asks, prompts, and requests are always open!


End file.
